Device for automatically controlling pilot lights of heavy-oil burners



Oct. 9, 19.28.

- 1,687,135 S. L. MERSHON DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING PILOT LIGHTS OF HEAVY OIL BURNERS FOR FURNACES, BOILERS, AND THE LIK Filed .Jan. 17, 1 923v w/ TNESS By W ' f/TTURNEYS Patented Oct. 1928 o eams- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

s'rarnnnjn; mmsnon, or nmmrzacn, rnnn-snv'aum.

v DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY GONTROLLI NG PILOT LIGHTS OF HEAVY-OIL IB'URNE BB FOR FURNACES, BOILERS, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed January 1?, 1923. Serial No; 618,119.. I

' My invention relates to burners in which heavy atomized oils aregemploy'ed as fuel, and

which are used for heating boilers and hotwater heaters, for manufacturing and domesa tie purposes, and particularly to the provision of means whereby such heavy fuels may he i nited automatically, with certainty and fadia ity when the burner and the fuel are both 001. t

lin such burners it has been common to eats. a continuously burning pilot light within the'pot or burner into which the atomized fuel is projected by air pressure and to depend upon that pilot light to ignite the fuel. It has also been attempted to provide an automatic arrangement whereby, when the fuel isabout to be projected into a cold burner, the flow ofilluminating gas through the pilot light is momentarily increased, to make certain the ignition of the cold atomized fuel. In such devices, however, the means for automatically closing the circuit to the motor for rotating the an by means of whiclrthe heavy fuel is atomizedand projected into the furnace,"is depended upon to give a momentary increase in the flow of illuminating gas at the pilot light. Thesame device, which increases the how of gasalso cuts down the flow of gas, so I that at or about the time the fan is in full op- 30, eration, the'fiow of gas through the pilot light reduced back to the normal small pilot light 0W. This momentary increase'in the size of the pilot light flame is insufiicient to'be absolutely depended upon. Unless the device for closing the'current to the motor operates very slowly and continues its operation for some time after the motor has'been energized and the fan set into motion thereby, the momentary 4 flare of the pilot light will have been completed, thev small pilot light flame will be all that there is to start the ignition of the fuel, and as above indicated, that will often fail to ignite the incomingcold fuel.

It is the object of my invention to provide a device of the character above described wherein the automatic mechanism for closing the circuit to the motor, in comingto'a position where the circuit is closed to start the motor, will be operative to open the valve controlling the" pilot light to substantially greatly increase-the flow of the illuminating gas to the pilot light, and will'maintain thatincreased #1 flow and the large'pilot light flame, resulting thereon, until the furnace or heater shallbe come heated to a'predetermined extent by the ignition or combustion of the atomized fuel. The purpose of my invention istherefore to provide means substantially independent of but cooperating with the means for increasing the flow of gas through the pilot light, for diminishing that relative large flow after the furnace hasattained a predetermined temperature.

Other objects of my invention will appear in', the specification and claim below.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specificdtion, I have illustrated one type of heavy liquid fuel burner for domestic purposes, suitable for heating domestic boilers', or domestic hot-water heaters, and in this drawing the parts of the burner and their relation with respect to the furnace or boiler are more-or less diagrammatically indicated.

Thus, the electric motor 1 is directly cons nect-ed by a shaft 2 to an oil ump 3 and to a fan (not shown) in a suite e fan casing 4 which when rotated \forces air through the nozzle 5 into the pot or burner 6 where it is consumed. Oil may be supplied through a swings over to the contact point 12 by reason of the lowering of the temperature of the room, then a circuit is closedthrough the wire 13, the operating mechanism 14, the Wl1815, battery 16 and finger 11, to release a trip in the starting mechanism 14,'and the crank 18 will automatically revolve through vone-half a revolution. When the arm 18 shall have completed said half of a revolution, it will engage the contact .point '19, to close the circuit to the motor-1 through the wires 20 and 21 which may be connected to any suitable source of electric energy, and will then stop inthat position When the temperature of the room thereafter rises to a pipe 7 to the oil pump 3 whence-it is forced predetermined point, to which the thermostat '10 maybe set, the finger 11 will have swung to the opposite contact point 22 to 13mins provided .to diminish the flow. In

the extent above described, the increased flow of illuminating gas would continue 'so consumed in the burner 6.- Such-an operaautomatically reducingthe flow of gas to I At any suitable place within bar 32 preferably of brass, and secure one end .thereo structure. I thus preferably provide the end .ing mechanism 14, wire 15, battery 16 and or trip in the operating mechanism 14, whereto the position shown in Fig. 1, breaking the pipe 25 through .passes arb'olt 33, which in turn passes through opposite sides ofthe heater structure. Wh

the nut 32 may project outside of the boiler through any suitable opening in the boiler structure, I, as for instance, through a notch in the damper 37 in the smoke stack .01 passage 38. The rod 32 may however be located in any suitable 4 place in the boiler, so-long as it is attached at one end rigidl to the boiler structure, and its other end is ree to actuate a mechanism, outside of the boiler, and the rod is where it may be heated and consequently causedto expand by ,the heat generated by-the combustion of thefuel in the pot or burner 6. I

I preferably attach to the outer pro ect1ng end of the bar 32 a pulle 39 around which passes a cord, chain or 0t er flexible connec-- tion 40, one end of which isrigidly attached to some immovable chest, as for instance, to a hook 41 secured to t e wall of the building I and the other end of which is provided with 5 position shqwn in the drawing, a minimum the. movable pulley 29, the cord. or 40 5 amount ofgas is-allowed to flow through the passing over suitably fixed or statlonary the burner 24, that is to "sheave-pulleys 42, 43 in-its passage to the. i say, an amount, of gas merely suflicient to pu ley 29; maintain a weak .pilot light flame at the s ow, continuing the description-of the (161 burner 24.. v vice from the point where'the- From thelever 27 a chain or cord 28 exsumed to have moved into engagementwithqtends vertically and hass'ing over a movable the contact point 19,.atomized uel is *j pulley 29 and a fixed pulley 30, is attached to supplied and burned within the burner 6, and. the freeend ofithe crank or arm 18, and this the pilot 'light'is. being supplied with excess connection is such that when the arm 18 illuminating gas because the arm 27 is-'felemoves through one-half of one revolution, vated, after-the fuel from the nozzle-figha's 7 .that is to say, in moving to' the point 19, it been ignited. ,The heat evolved, fromthe will raise the arm 27 of the valve 26 and burning liquid fuel now immediately begins cause an increase inthe supply of gas to the to raise the temperature of the boiler; or pilot burner 24'. v This supply of gas when heater. The flames will fillthe-fire-box. oronce thus increased would continue so long space above the'burner, and will pass'through as the arm 18 is inengagement with the con t e tactpoint 19' were not some independent close a circuit through the wire operatfinger 11 to again release the escapement upon the crank-or arm 18 will now swing through the second half of its revolution back circuit to the motor, and consequently cutting ofli' the supply of fuel to the burner 6'. As above indicated, the operating mechanism and the thermostat are merely diagrammatically shown, and they may be of any well-known or approved design.

Within the pot or burner 6 is a pilot light burner 24, which, through suitable piping 25, is connected to any suitable source of illuminating gas. The supply of gas to the pilot burner 24 is controlled by a; valve 26 provided with a lever 27. When the lever27 is in the finally emerge in the passage to the'stack other words, withthe devices operative to 'ture of this bar 32 rises its length wi l ii crease. [It will expand. under theinfluence.

long as the motor 1; runs and fuel is being tion would,yhowe'ver, be useless because of the great waste of illuminating gas.

.I, herefore, have prov1ded a means for the. pilotlight, back to the predetermined minimum :1 er the heavy fuel is ignited and afterthe temperature of the furnace has been raised to apredet'ermined point.. 1

- ,lthe ibar 32-expands,.the pulley p ejfreelend vof thecord 40 will move or boiler, as for nstance, above the hot Water -outwardli fromithe. pulley 43 and downtubesor' chambers 31, I provide a long metal 1 wandlythus bringing thef int at which the I cord 28 over 'the' pu ley 29- nearer the a to some 11g1d part of. the heaterjpulle Asa resulti this, the 21.115127 will ,trdly' under-the influeneb of the of the bar 32 w1th a hole through which mmdwth f d f th -m p any slack that would otherwise u the cordor chain-g3. I v d y en aj so ro rtion 'arran e 36 is secured to the bolt 33, the bar 32 and-loc ted that whe thglieat of the burning will be rigldly attached at one end to the atomitetffuel isfsufiicient to expand-the bar heater structure." 1he other end of the rod 32"apredeternfined amount (e. g. one-half f.

clamps 34 and 35 resting respectively on arm 18 isaI -I various passa'gesof the boiler until' ..tl1'ey .x

In so doing they w1ll swap around and over i shea e39 "a. thei 'endl thereof. 4

mined minimum amount of illuminatinggas,

merely sufiicie'nt to maintain the pilot light burning, will be supplied to the burner. If, then, under these conditions, the bar 32 being hot and expanded, the temperature of the room or house, in which is the thermostat, p 7

described, I have attached the outside member 18 of the controller to thepilot light reaches that predetermined high pointwhichactuates the thermostat to stop the consump-- tion of fuel by cutting off the current supplied to the motorl. As soon as the arm 18 of the mechanism 14 starts to revolve through the second half of its complete revolution, it

J moves away from'the'contact 19 and breaks the circuit to the motor. The arm '18 will however continue its movement until 'it reaches the point shown in the drawing, at 1 which point itwill-stop. 20

As the arm'18 rises, the connection28 will merely slacken,

, because the lever 27 had already dropped to the position shown in the. drawing, by reason 'of the expansion of the bar 32. As the boiler or heater now cools, the bar 32 will contract and gradually draw the pulley 39 toward the boiler and this contraction will continue-to take up the slack of the cord 28. In this position, the device is ready to operate again when the. curreht is next supplied to the mos tor to start the rojection of the heavy atomized fuel into t e burner 6. f

It is to be understood thatthe above description of my device is byway of illustra tion only. The bar 32 may be arran" in any suitable place within the heater. e move- .ment of its free end dueto theexpansion and contraction thereof may be multiplied inany suitable way other than by a'"multi lying pulley 39, as for by any suita le ar-.

rangement of levers, and-the arm 27 of the valve 26 may beheld in its. normal position i to suppl the'minimuniamount of gas to the --;be actuatedby'a'springmr by a an electric motor, so ong as .pilotli t bya spring instead of byfa we' ht A4. The automatic deyicewhich has been fiescribed as the operating-imechanism 14 may weight, or by V the arm 18 is given a movement n one direction instart the operation of the burner and a move-' ment the reveise'direcfion in sin ping the current suppliy of atomized fuel to It will-there ore plainthatl do not wish anism and in or other suitable of the fuel delivered e burner.

element m said external member moves in one direction to start the motor and in the other direction to stop it. The drawingforming a part of this ification is therefore diagrammatic in t 's respect and no attempt has been made to show ordescribe the. mechanism within the casing thereof. v

In the embodiment of myinvention above valve by a suitable connection 28, and the expansi le bar 32, which may be considered as a. second thermostat or thermostatic element, located in any suitable place within the heater structure where it is directly subjected to the heat produced by the, combustion-of the projected fuel, is operatively at-' tached to the connection 28 and through it to the valve 26 to close the valve and reduce 8o the enlarged pilot light flame to normal upon the expansion of sa1d bar 32. r 4 v The pilot li ht may be located in any suitable place an in anysuitable manner with respect to the course, that w en thefla-me thereof is en larged, it extends or fuel projector.- The details of these constructions however may be considerably varied without vdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention. Having thus described my'inventlon, what I claim and. desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United Statesgis:

In a heater the comliination of-a pot orburner, means to project atomized fuel into said burner comprising an atomizer and a 'motor to drive the same, a thermostat, a con -troller actuated by said thermostat to stop andstart said motor, a pilot light, means to supply gas to said pilot light comprising a a pipe and valve therein; normally set-to cause a smallflame at said pilot light, a connection between saidcontroller andsaid valve whereby when said controller is ac tuatedto. start said motor, said controller, also opens said valve through said connection to enlarge theflame of raid pilot light prior to the projection of fuel into the pot and toemaintainsaid enlarged-flame until said fuel eater operative when ex panded by the heat produeed by the combustion of said atomized fuel to in efiect'substantially'lengthensaid connection and permitsaid valve'to close and-redu'cesaid llame I tofu-"normal pilot light flame.v

In witness whereof, I have n inmsnon.

t or burner 6, provided, of

ar ma-grass a,

'tes, and a thermostatic y hereunto E my hi d th by of J m fi m-f 

